


Until the Stars Collide

by TheBaronTrost



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Mass Effect Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11829873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBaronTrost/pseuds/TheBaronTrost
Summary: To everyone else, Scott was just a normal kid, in a normal, if not slightly exclusive school. He had normal if not more than averagely wealthy parents, and a mostly normal twin sister. What was ‘normal’ to the other people in his school though, didn’t usually include Scott’s rebellious nature. It was certainly one of his identifiers, the other being that he was one of the most intelligent and well rounded students that the school had ever seen.A tale of fluff, romance, and awkward Ryders.(Story continued by TheBaronTrost)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is from Scott's POV, some chapters will be in Gil's POV and a few may include other characters POV too. This work isn't beta'd.

To everyone else, Scott was just a normal kid, in a normal, if not slightly exclusive school. He had normal if not more than averagely wealthy parents, and a mostly normal twin sister. What was ‘normal’ to the other people in his school though, didn’t usually include Scott’s rebellious nature. It was certainly one of his identifiers, the other being that he was one of the most intelligent and well rounded students that the school had ever seen. The Ryders are descendants of some Victorian-era aristocracy in England, and after taking the plunge into the economic temptation of the United States, their family was now one of the most affluent in New York, and that’s the state, not the city. Scott’s mischievous nature was almost certainly inherited from his family, not that his parents would ever admit that. Every weekday, Scott and Sara would hop into their private car to their private high school, and almost ritually entertain Grant, their chauffeur, with soft smiles and light conversation on the 30 minute trudge to the gates. Their school itself, now centuries old, lay in the grounds of an estate belonging to some old historical figure in American history - it was the topic of many lectures from the more snooty teachers at the school. The only difference in the school now, in the year 2183, from when the school was founded, is that many of the students were now totally different species altogether. Some of Scott’s best friends were from halfway across the galaxy. The students were placed there by their parents, who in turn were all drawn to the ‘Livingston Institute of Education’ by two things; money, and connections. The plan was that graduates of this Institute would be able to reach the peak of human or citadel society, the evidence being that twelve of the previous fifteen Prime Ministers of the Systems Alliance were educated in the School. To Scott, it highlighted a deep social divide that he couldn’t, and wouldn’t support.

It’s true however, that some of the students at the Livingston Institute (LI for short) did not come from the privileged background at all. Scott spent most of his less interesting classes oggling a boy named Gil Brodie from the other side of the room. Gil was interesting to Scott because he had no real background. Nobody really knew anything about him, and he still managed to be the biggest and brightest personality in whatever room he was situated in. Scott had first noticed his ridiculous crush on Gil (and subsequently his interest in men) in the middle of his second year at the school. They were now at the beginning of their final year at the institute, with Scott had already achieved the grades and professional recommendations prestigious enough to enlist in almost any of the elite universities and colleges littered around Earth. He had also received many propositions from various wealthy parents hoping to marry their daughters into the Ryder line. Fortunately for Scott, his family were totally accepting of his sexuality, and actively repressed any suggestion from Scott himself that he could hide it. It was a relief to him really, since he really didn’t see any way that he could keep a facade like that up for the rest of his life, when he can barely keep it up at his school. He’d been caught several times, staring at Gil, almost always by Suvi, who would chuckle and wink at him. Just one more year and he’d be out of there, free to live his life and not worry about the social consequences of being gay. Nonetheless, Scott kept to himself. His only real friends, Vetra and Peebee, were also the only people he spoke to during the school day. Sara was always far too busy with her popular friends, now that she was dating Reyes Vidal. It was how he liked it though, being a wallflower meant that he simply got on with his assignments and didn’t draw any attention to himself, and this was also he’d managed this long to avoid talking to Gil for extended periods of time… for now at least.

One of the many differences between the LI and other schools was the curriculum. At Livingston, students were not just prepared in the sciences, math, languages, humanities, and arts. Students were also taught how to effectively fight, in both hand-to-hand combat, and with small firearms. It was this area where Scott found that he excelled more than anywhere. He was less than talented in the arts, and highly capable in everything else except languages where his scores were merely ‘above average’ - Combat Training was where he was most in his element. It helped, of course, that Scott had dynamic biotic skills, something that only his twin and the Asari students could boast; and he was better than all of them. It was also in this class where Scott was finally forced to stand face to face with Gil Brodie.

***

Hand to hand combat demonstrations were the worst for Scott. He knew that every time, Drack would call upon him to humiliate some poor bastard in front of the class, to show everyone ‘how you beat the crap out of an attacker’. He’d gotten so used to putting on a show, that Drack didn’t even need to call his name any more. Today however, the Krogan smirked when he called Gil’s name to be today’s ‘bastard’. Scott tried unsuccessfully to shake off his light blush as Gil sheepishly stepped up onto the mat opposite Scott.

Gil tried half-heartedly to put up a defensive stance, whispering slightly as the class cheered them on “Just go easy on me Ryder, we both know how this is going to end.” Scott just stood there for a second before jabbing Gil in the stomach and flipping him onto his back into a choke hold.

“I don’t **_do_** easy, it's why I **_always_** win. We both know you can do better than that, I’ve seen you.” Scott ignored his implication that he had watched Gil as he helped him up. Gil chuckled as Scott fell into a defensive stance, shrugging and muttering something inaudible to himself. Scott knew that he had to concentrate on the sparring to be able to suppress his growing urge to jump on top of Gil. The broader boy tried several times to break past Scott’s defence, only to find himself on his ass every time he pushed. Scott was enjoying himself, until Gil caught him off guard with a kick to his legs that sent him flying backwards. Scott hit the mat, instantly using his toned legs to flip back up, then quickly stepping to leap at Gil. It was something he’d instantly come to regret, as the end result was Scott straddling Gil’s waist, holding his hands above his head.

Scott held Gil’s stare until he heard a laugh come from Gil’s lips. Scott let go of Gil’s arms, allowing him to sit up, giving him the chance to whisper in Scott’s ear “Alright Ryder. If you wanted some alone time with me, you could have just asked.” Scott felt his cheeks go instantly red. The rest of the class had already begun sparring themselves, and were too busy to notice the exchange. They weren’t too busy to ignore Gil’s loud grunt as Scott punched him in the stomach. That was the class where Scott realised that he couldn’t hide who he was any longer.

Luckily for everyone involved, the class didn’t last too much longer. Drack dismissed the class early as he always did, giving the students more time to change out of their gear, and back into their smart black blazer and tie uniforms for their next class. Scott always used this time to have a shower, which meant that he’d be the last one leaving the changing rooms. This time though, when he stepped out of the shower with a towel around his waist and dripping wet hair, Gil was waiting for him.

“Scott!” Gil’s call of his name brought back his blush instantly. Scott just clenched his fists around his shirt and froze in place. “Oh, dude, sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“You didn’t, I just wasn’t expecting you.” Scott looked to the side to try and hide his bluff.

“Alright man… I just wanted to apologise if what I said back there tipped you over the edge. I could feel Vetra’s look burning a hole in the back of my head the entire rest of the class.”

“It’s fine. Just count yourself lucky she didn’t **_actually_** burn a hole in your head.” Scott put his shirt on without doing the buttons up, and moved over to his bag to get the rest of his stuff, turning his back on Gil. He mulled something over in his head before blurting out “Next time I want some alone time with you, I’ll just tell you.”

Even though his back was turned, Scott could feel Gil’s shit eating smirk through his voice “Scott Ryder. Are you flirting with me?” Scott heard him take a step closer “Here I was thinking it was just me wanting to get to know you. Have done for quite a while actually.” Scott wiggled his underwear on underneath the towel before letting it drop. He hastily put on his trousers, and put his loosened tie over his head, fastening a few buttons hastily before turning around with a scowl, Gil was still moving slowly closer to him “I get it Scott, you’re shy. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself. Why don’t we hang out after class today, if you want?”

“I’d like that.” Scott had let Gil get so close that he could feel his sigh on his face. Gil reached out and did up the last few buttons at the top of Scott’s shirt, once again with the ridiculous smirk on his face. Once he was done, he made sure that Scott’s tie fit tightly around his collar before reaching out and passing him the blazer that was on the bench. Scott, feeling defensive, looked at the floor and muttered “I can dress myself Gil.”

“I know you can. But I wanted to see you as close as I did when you knocked me halfway across the hall…” the smirk was gone now, Scott didn’t look up until Gil took a step back. “Meet you at the gates at 4pm?”

“Sure.” Scott picked up his bag and pushed past the boy he’d been pining after for years. Gil muttered something along the lines of ‘it’s a date’, which sent his head reeling. His blush creeping up again in a rush as Dr Lexi, the school doctor, passed by and raised her eyebrow at the two boys leaving the changing rooms so long after the rest of their colleagues. Scott wished that the ground would just swallow him up, he needed to find Vetra and Peebee.

***

“He did **_what_**!” Vetra was trying to process the information that Scott had just poured out to her and Peebee. Peebee herself was wheezing from laughter, trying muttering about lovebirds and other irritating things that made Scott frown. “Does this mean he likes you? I don’t get it. I did look at him funny but I always tend to look at people funny if you punch them that hard in the stomach!”

“I don’t know what it means Vetra. I guess I’ll find out later.” Scott was fiddling picking at his fingernails, when Peebee snatched his hand.

“What!? Later!? You’re meeting him later!?”

“I said that I’d hang out after school.” Scott shrugged, Vetra stood and flew her arms in the air, and Peebee went back to her laughing fit. It was obvious that his friends were loving his social awkwardness, and especially loving a new level to Scott that they’d rarely gotten the chance to see - him being vulnerable. Scott, despite his mischief, was a private person who rarely talked about his feelings. It usually took him several glasses of wine to divulge secrets about his pining. It was the only way his friends had even found out about his sexuality, and indeed his crush on Gil. All Scott had to do now was get through the next few lessons without Gil causing any more issues. Just as he thought that, he saw him across the courtyard from where they were sat. Gil looked his way too, and he waved. Scott waved back, to a snort from Vetra. It was then that Scott’s eyes rolled so hard that he thought he might pass out. Peebee, being Peebee, was still roaring with laughter, muttering about oggly eyes and schoolboy crushes. It was at that point in Scott’s day where he knew the embarrassment couldn’t get much worse. 

***

When Scott walked up to the gates, Gil was already waiting for him. He had let Sara know that he’d be back late, if at all, and not to wait up for him. Most of the other students left the school grounds as quickly as possible after class, and Gil was usually one of them. Scott really didn’t get how Gil had never shown an interest in him before, especially when his not-so-subtle stares were constantly caught by his best friend. Gil announced that they could hang out at his place, and they set out down the road of the large estate. They walked in silence until Gil couldn’t take it anymore. “Tell me what’s going through that pretty little head of yours. You’ve been scowling ever since you walked up to me.”

Scott’s eyes rolled again, “You’ve just never shown an interest in me before. I don’t know why you’re suddenly hitting on me like this.”

“It probably has something to do with you avoiding me like the plague for the past three years. I honestly thought you hated me until Suvi mentioned it a few days ago.”

“You mean she kept catching my embarrassing staring a secret all this time?”

“Yup. She’s not the type to go around starting rumours. She only told me about it when I blurted something out about wanting to get you to play strip poker with me.” Gil slowed a bit as he laughed at his own memory, “I’ve fancied you for months. There’s something really sexy about a guy who could definitely kill me with his bare hands.”

Scott pouted “I don’t train hard to be sexy, Gil. It’s how I relax. When I’m not playing video games, that is.”

 “Then by all means, relax with me!” Gil winked at Scott, which made both of them smile. Scott’s rigid, frowny attitude dropped soon after. They came started to chat about their days to each other, sharing their complaints about their boring History teacher, Professor Tann. Time passed quickly, and after a couple of miles of walking, they approached a small house tucked away next to a small lake. “This is home. It’s not much, but it’s mine.”

Scott was slightly taken aback by the house. It was pretty, and so peaceful. It was the kind of place Scott could imagine himself sitting next to, reading a book or designing a weapon mod. “Do you live alone?”

Gil nodded, and came to a stop at the mailbox. “Always have done, since being left in London age 5 or 6 anyway… I’m what you’d call a lone wolf. Except without the nasty predator vibes attached. Got pretty good at working computers on the street for credits, and eventually got sent here by a benefactor who gave me everything I have.”

“Wow. I had no idea.” Scott was still taking in the house when Gil nudged him towards the door.

“Come on, let’s get inside. It’s about to rain.” Gil lightly took Scott’s hand and led him inside. When the door closed, he dropped his hand with a nervous smile. The house looked small on the outside, but it seemed much larger from where Scott was standing now. He could see large glass windows out behind a dining area that looked like it had never been touched. The space he was stood in was part of a cosy living room with deep red furnishings and white details. There was a door to the basement and some stairs just visible. It was quaint, and cosy, which was much more ‘Scott’ than the Ryder Manor that he lived in. It made Scott’s jaw drop. After he’d spent longer than was probably considered normal staring at the house, he found himself staring into Gil’s eyes, with Gil staring right back.

“Look, if I’m reading this wrong, tell me. But I like you, and I’m pretty certain you like me too. I know we’ve not spoken much besides today but I’ve known you for years.” Gil sat down on a sofa, and put his head in his hands. “I just really want to get to know you. More than friends.”

Scott chuckled, feeling surprisingly relaxed, “I never wanted to be _just_ friends with you.” He sat down next to Gil, who put a hand on his thigh.

“That’s good… I mean, I’m glad.” They sat there for a while just smiling at each other, Gil breaking the silence again. “Never in my nineteen years on this earth have I ever felt so nervous about talking to someone. It’s so not like me.” Scott’s snorted a laugh, and leaned on Gil’s shoulder. This was something that he could get used to.

Scott realised that meant that Gil had “You’re a year older than the rest of us then aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t quite grapple the more serious subjects at the same rate. I started late though, so I think I have a good enough excuse.” He winked again, causing Scott to nudge into him.

They sat there for a while, nattering about nothing in particular. Gil stood only to check his refrigerator and to get both of them a glass of water. Scott used the opportunity to explore the rest of the small little house that Gil called home. Shaking off his school blazer, he padded down to the end of the house near the dining room. Large glass panels separated the room from the outside, the rain now pouring down. He stood for a moment watching the droplets fall into the small lake next to the house. The land attached to the house was large enough to have a large garage at the bottom of the garden, the doors wide open with parts of what looked like an antique car scattered around the workstations. Gil smiled at him, gesturing to show Scott through the rest of the house. They padded up the stairs, and round a corner into what looked like a library. There were computer parts on the several desks, with the bookshelf walls filled to the brim with books.

“I’m good with my hands” Gil said with a smirk. He gestured towards the large desk at the back of the room. “Cars and computers are my thing. I can take apart a computer and put it back together blindfolded. I pay my way by fixing servers and camera systems for all of you rich kids in the mansions.” Scott knew his way around a computer too, but not like this. “I guess I’m pretty good with working computers too. Let me know if anyone pisses you off, I’ll bring their whole servers down in seconds.” Another smirk from Gil prompted another small blush from Scott. The pair left the room for the last three rooms, one a large bathroom with a bathtub large enough for a Krogan, one guest bedroom, with the same glass panels at the bottom presenting a half decent view of the lake, and then there was the master bedroom. The cosy, lightly furnished master bedroom had a balcony that presented the best view of the garden. The sun was beginning to break through the clouds, causing a rainbow to appear over the lake as the rain began to slow. Scott couldn’t help but smile. He was interrupted by a short cough from Gil. “So, I don’t actually have that much food in the house right now. Pizza sound good to you?”

It was Scott’s turn to smirk, “Who can turn down pizza?”

***

The sun had gone down hours ago, and the two empty pizza boxes lay empty on the floor. The autumn nights drawing longer and longer getting closer to winter. Scott and Gil had sat watching horror movies during their pizza binge. Scott had seen most of the movies before so wasn’t too phased by the jump scares, Gil on the other hand jumped every time. At one point, Gil’s grip on Scott’s thigh was so hard that he thought that Gil was trying to rip his leg off like the scene in the movie before. Sara sent Scott a text assuring him that she had covered for him tonight, but that she wanted a better explanation tomorrow, which was fair enough for Scott. The Ryders had always been happy with Scott doing his own thing, but now that he was doing… whatever he was doing with Gil, he knew he’d probably have to explain fully. They were getting to the end of the third film when Gil nudged Scott to sit up, only to have him pull him back down and fold him in his arms, resting his head on his chest. This was something that Scott could get used to. He nestled his head into the fold in Gil’s arms, just as the credits began to roll.

“So… Scott.” Gil didn’t usually fumble his words, Scott just hummed back in recognition of a looming question. “Does this mean I can take you on a date or not?”

Scott couldn’t contain his blush this time, but he smiled through it, “Is this not a date?” Gil gave the other boy a light squeeze. “You can take me on a date whenever you want.”

“So we’re dating. Right? I mean I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page.”

Scott yawned “We’re on the same page.” He could feel his eyes start to become heavy. Gil was so comfortable. The feeling of Gil’s strong arms wrapped around him made him feel safe, not worrying about what other people would think if they were seen like this. Scott didn’t really believe it was happening, the picture was all too perfect, but he’d already pinched himself multiple times to make sure that this was the real deal. He tried to stay awake as Gil put on a comedy movie, but let himself slip into a dream when Gil planted a light kiss on his head. Today had been a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gil's POV

Gil slept incredibly well that night, but he still woke up ridiculously early. Every day, he’d wake up at four in the morning to either tinker with his car or a computer. Today though, he just stayed where he was. He’d clearly fallen asleep watching the film he put on, as the menu screen was repeating over and over in the background. Reaching around Scott’s adorably sleeping form he found his phone, and flicked up an app to turn the screen off. Then he decided to open the camera, and took a picture of the pair of him burying his face in Scott’s hair. The resulting image was so cute, that he just had to make it his phone background. He noticed that Suvi had sent him a few messages wondering why he’d been so quiet, since he hadn’t vidcalled with her like he usually did that night. He promised her that he’d explain everything to her once they got to school, knowing she’d probably be awake soon too. He spent the next hour watching videos of kittens to kill time, desperately trying not to giggle and coo at the screen so he didn’t wake Scott up. He really couldn’t believe that the usually reserved boy actually opened up so much to him. When the time reached five thirty, he carefully wriggled out from underneath Scott and wrapped him up in a blanket. He quickly found Scott’s profile on social media and sent him the picture of him sleeping, grinning goofily at the thought of the blush that picture would cause. Padding into the kitchen, he set about making two piles of pancakes, since that was about everything he could make with the ingredients in his kitchen. After finishing the second plate he noticed that Scott was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, with a sheepish, sleepy look on his face. “Hey handsome. Breakfast?” Gil held out one of the plates of pancakes which Scott slowly took. They ate in relative silence before Scott picked up his phone, finding the picture of the two of them the night before. There was no blush like Gil had predicted, just a sleepy smile.

Scott groaned at Gil, “That’s the worst angle of me ever. Next time, I’m taking the selfie.” 

“Rubbish. You look adorable. I had to stop myself from putting it up on my social media.” Gil’s teasing earned the blush that he wanted. 

“You can… if you want to. Upload it.” Scott yawned into the blanket again. “Just don’t come running to me when school becomes insufferable with all of the attention.”

“I’ll do it later.” He picked up Scott’s empty plate and placed it in the sink for later. “There’s a spare towel in the bathroom if you want a shower before school. I have a shirt that’s too small for me that you can borrow too, if you don’t want to wear it after sleeping in it.”

Scott nodded, and came up behind Gil to give him a hug. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Scott’s touch lingered on Gil’s waist. It was all too much for Gil at that point, finally letting his own cheeks redden with emotion. He went into his bedroom while Scott was showering and found the shirt he’d promised. He tapped away at his phone with Suvi, who was urging him to ‘spill already’, soon Scott emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, just like he had in the school changing rooms. Gil’s eyes studied Scott’s body in more detail this time, memorising every curve, every line of his toned torso. Gil bit his lip as he walked past Scott into the bathroom, he was actually dating Scott Ryder. Needless to say, Gil’s shower was quick and cold. He needed to be ready to face the day.

***

Scott called his driver and offered Gil a lift into school that morning. The ride down the lane and through the gates was silent, but the pair exchanged a few intense glances. The ride was short though, so the quiet was bearable for Gil. That didn’t stop him from jumping out of the car as soon as it stopped at the door. Scott and him were in different classes this morning, so they as they walked through the main doors, they smiled at each other before walking down opposite corridors. As soon as Scott was far enough away not to hear, Gil let out a deep sigh. He was running late for his class but it was worth it, he picked up his pace, only to bound straight into Suvi as he turned the corner next to his class.

“Alright Gil. I’ve waited long enough, tell me everything. Why weren’t you online last night.”

“Are you trying to kill me? Alright, alright.” Gil huffed at Suvi’s insistence, “I was hanging out with Scott.”

Suvi’s eyes went wide. “Scott? You were with Scott **_Ryder_**?” She seemed taken aback by this news. “Oh my god Gil you didn’t… Did he stay the **_night_**?”

“SUVI! No! I mean yes, but not like that.” Gil was getting flustered, and some other students had gathered round, like they usually do when Gil gets animated. They were all prodding him about Scott it was quickly grating his nerves. “All of you just back off for a second okay?” he took a deep breath. “Scott and I are just dating. It’s not as juicy as you’re all expecting.”

That was when he remembered that Sara Ryder was also in his class. Too late though, since she had a sly grin on her face. “Ah, so that's why my baby brother was out all night last night. Good to know.”

The teacher arrived and unlocked the classroom, Suvi nudged Gil into his seat with raised eyebrows. He swore that he’d kill the Scot before the day was out. He went about his lessons in a grump. He wanted to do tell people with Scott there, not let it slip in a school corridor. Suvi had kept her distance after he had snapped at her telling her that he was fine. He couldn’t wait until the morning recess, he needed to hide himself away. He stormed out of the first class and into the second. Opting to sit at the back of the lecture hall, well away from everyone else. He spent this class frowning and taking minimal notes, trying his best to calm down. He managed to contain his disappointment and became more like himself towards the end. Once the class was finished it was time for recess, he headed to the small corner of the courtyard where he knew he wouldn’t be bothered. He didn’t make it to the corner though, he ended up caught in a swarm of people asking questions. He just sighed at the questions, most of them were completely unfair and nobody had the right to ask them. He pushed through the crowd, and as he managed to escape he found Scott, in the usual place, with Peebee and Vetra. He walked over, looking at the pavement as he did, stopping several feet away from where he thought Scott was. Gil looked up to find Scott mere centimetres away from him.

“Sara told me how it went down. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” Scott stroked Gil’s upper arm as he spoke. It sent flutters into Gil’s stomach.

Gil snorted back, “It definitely wasn’t your fault… You weren’t even in my class. I blame Suvi, she was the one-“ Gil was caught off guard and stopped his sentence mid breath when Scott grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. Gil’s hand instinctively reached up to Scott’s jaw, and he moved in for a kiss. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it took the breath both of them. Scott pulled at Gil’s hand and sat him down where he was before, leaning onto him before him and Vetra continued their conversation. Scott’s sly smile would probably remain in place for the rest of the day. The rest of the courtyard was silent, all of the questions had stopped. Every student that saw the spectacle understood now, that the rumours were true. Only time would tell how they would take it.

***

The following lessons passed quickly, but not painlessly. Scott and Gil opted to sit together in the remainder of their lessons, so that they could back each other up if any of their peers said anything untoward. Thankfully the worst they had to deal with were the whispers and quick looks as they sat studying their textbooks. Gil would make any small excuse to talk to Scott, specifically about his view on the work that they were doing. The Governance and Political Science class was another one of Scott’s talents. Gil would get lost in Scott’s explanation of a political problem and listen contently to his solutions. The most attractive thing about Scott for Gil, was definitely his brain. Gil saw Scott as someone to look up to, to strive towards. It was true that Scott would probably never be able to work a computer like Gil could, or be able to fix most complicated contraptions without step by step instructions, but his mind was something amazing. Scott would catch Gil staring at him every now and then, and he would stick his tongue out in response. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with Scott, and actually get to know him. He couldn't wait until he could ask him properly to be his boyfriend.

As the class wound down, getting closer to the close of the school day, Gil nudged Scott to get his attention. “How about we go to dinner tomorrow? There’s a really nice restaurant down the road from my house if you’re in the mood.”

Scott lifted his textbook off of the table and into his bag. He couldn’t stop smiling. “Sure. It’s a date.”

Gil hummed back, “Yeah… It is.” The pair stood up as the class was dismissed and Gil walked next to Scott through the corridors, towards the gates where the Ryder car was waiting. “Give me your phone, I’ll put my details into it.” Gil tapped away at the phone and handed it back to Scott, after sending himself a message. They arrived at the car just after Sara and Reyes. Gil could feel Scott roll his eyes as the other pair made out before Sara got into the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow Ryder. Don’t forget our date.” Scott smiled back at Gil and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, before climbing into the car himself. When Gil began to walk towards his house he couldn’t help but notice Reyes’ raised eyebrows, and hoped that it didn’t mean trouble. Reyes wasn’t any more popular or well liked than Gil, he was just renowned for being pretty ruthless with the things he didn’t like. Reyes would plan in the shadows, and spin rumours to get what he wanted. Gil was more than content to keep Reyes at arms length, and well away from his efforts to start a relationship with Scott.

***

Gil ran most of the way home, deciding the quicker he got home the better. It had been quite the day. He decided to make sure that he would vidcall with Suvi tonight, he couldn’t avoid her forever. First he decided to clean up the mess that the pair of them had made the night before. He piled the pizza boxes into the recycling bin, washed up the plates from the pancakes, and folded up the towels for another day. He picked up the blanket from the side of the sofa, he smelled like Scott. With a huff he sat down on the sofa, and wrapped himself in the blanket before calling Suvi.

“Gil, before you say anything I’m **_so_** sorry for today… I had no-“

Gil cut her off like he always did when she fussed over him, “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I was off. Long time no chat, what’s up?”

Suvi filled Gil in with the majority of the gossip that had revolved around him today, but it warmed his heart to hear that most of it was positive. The girls around school had decided that they were ‘adorable’ and the boys didn’t really seem to care. Gil supposed it was because Scott usually kept to himself, except for when he was causing trouble with Peebee, perhaps it wasn’t going to be painful after all. When Suvi talked about some of the things that the ‘rid kid' group said, it made Gil’s heart sink. Some of these people with age old names really still thought that love between two people of the same sex was wrong. It was something that he despised about the established families, and something he wished people would just get over already. Gil and Suvi stayed on the phone for hours, with Gil changing the subject to Suvi’s love interest. Suvi couldn’t deny that she was crazy about Vetra Nyx, Scott’s best friend. When Gil suggested that they could all hang out together, Suvi told him to behave himself. Gil wandered outside, to sit by the lake as they talked. It was so peaceful, and Gil could remember Scott’s eyes going wide at the sight of the lake and the trees overhanging it. Suvi’s idle chit chat did nothing to take his mind off of the boy he’d wanted for months. He was so far into his day dream that he nearly didn’t realise when she said that she needed to sleep.

When he walked back into the living room, he opened his phone and sent Ryder a message.

_Apparently that kiss of ours is the talk of the school. - G x_

Scott replied almost instantly.

_I know. Sara’s friends are freaking out. It’s quite entertaining really. - SR_

They spent an hour swapping stories they’d heard from other people about the rumours. Scott got quite animatedly angry at the ‘rich kid’ group and what they had to say, but he wasn’t surprised. When Scott send a message that implied he wanted to go to sleep, Gil told him to have some sweet dreams, and that he’d text him in the morning. Gil slept almost as well as the night before that night, falling asleep to a plan of how to take Scott on the best date ever. He couldn’t wait.


End file.
